Research Progress on Molecular Mechanism of Organotin-Induced Imposex in Marine Gastropods

Key words: 
• organotin /
• gastropods /
• imposex /
• molecular mechanism

Abstract: Organotin compounds had been widely used as additives of antifouling paints. These compounds were demonstrated as inducers of imposex in gastropods at very low concentrations, which severely damaged the marine ecosystems. Even though a global ban on tributyltin has been enacted by the International Maritime Organization, the organotin pollution is still serious as reported recently, and the molecular mechanism of imposex caused by organotin compounds is in dispute. In this article, the imposex caused by the organotin in gastropods and its application for evaluating world wide organotin contamination were briefly reviewed. Three hypothesized molecular mechanisms for organotin-induced imposex in gastropods were highlighted as follows:imbalance of vertebrate-type sex steroids level, abnormal release of neuropeptide, and activation of retinoid X receptor. Additionally, new thoughts and methods adhere to the newly developed molecular technique were proposed to investigate the overall molecular mechanisms of imposex in gastropods.